Emaciated dog found chained to Fulton Co. church

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - A dog has a second chance at life after being found chained to a church in Fulton County.

Angels Among Us Pet Rescue (AAUPR) learned about “Odysseus” on Sunday after LifeLine Animal Projects in Fulton County was called out to the church. Angels Among Us pulled the dog, who they believe is about 2-years-old, from Fulton County and rushed him to GVS/Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners in Sandy Springs.

It’s hard to tell exactly what type of dog Odysseus is because he is so thin, but they believe he’s a boxer mix. He weighs only 28 pounds.

Angels Among Us Pet Rescue volunteer Karin Wallace said, " This is just probably one of the worst cases that I've seen in years of starvation basically. I can't imagine when the dog's last meal was."

AAUPR said the first update on the pup’s condition was surprisingly good. He was heartworm negative, only mildly anemic and his blood work looked really well. His liver and kidneys are in good shape too.

"Well assuming that all the problem is the lack of food, he should do quite well. Sometimes when they haven't been fed in a long time and they start to eat that can actually cause problems as well, called the feeding syndrome. Most of the time they do well with that as long as we're careful and feed them gradually to begin with," said Veterinarian Doctor Derek Duval on Monday.

The pet rescue group has been updating the condition of Odysseus on Facebook. Sunday night, he was receiving treatment at the emergency veterinary hospital.

“We are cautiously optimistic but with malnutrition this severe, the next several days will be critical,” said AAUPR. “Earlier this evening, he ate ¼ can of food and is doing good so far! He’s hooked up to an IV receiving fluids and is being monitored closely overnight.”

AAUPR said the organization is in need of donations to help with the dog’s veterinary care to save his life. If you would like to donate towards vet care for Odysseus, click here. Make sure you put “Odysseus” on the purpose line! You can also mail a donation to AAUPR at PO Box 821, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009.